The relationship between family characteristics and height in Sardinia at the turn of the twentieth century

This paper is intended as a contribution to the debate on the
determinants of physical stature in the past and it specifically
investigates whether, in Sardinia, height − considered as a proxy of
the share of household resources allocated to a child’s growth − was
influenced by the number of brothers and sisters amongst whom
parents had to distribute available resources. This study is limited
to the male population, because military records represent the
only source at our disposal providing historical data on height. The
community studied is the town of Alghero, located on the northwestern
coast of Sardinia, at the turn of the twentieth century. We
have adopted a longitudinal approach, thanks to the rich dataset
reconstructed for Alghero, using different sources including family,
socioeconomic and anthropometric indicators. The results, in line with
the resource dilution hypothesis, show that competition within the
household was of some importance and that the effects on height due
to scarcity of resources were particularly evident amongst farmers,
the most representative socioeconomic status group in Alghero.
A significant contribution to the stature reached in adulthood was
also given by the socioeconomic status of the family or else by other
individual characteristics.